How to Write a Clear Brief for a Corporate Film Project

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If a picture is worth a thousand words then a moving picture is worth a million views. According to Hubspot, the number of people that consume videos online is more than 3.3 billion worldwide and 89% of consumers want to see more videos.

While corporate videos do not attract that many eyeballs, the eyeballs they do attract are among the most important ones: investors, journalists and business partners. For this reason writing a clear brief for your next corporate film project is critical. The success of any corporate video production project depends on the production house having a clear understanding of the key messages you want to convey, who the target audience is, what you brand represents and so on. A clear corporate video brief is thus paramount to creating a video that helps you achieve your goals. 

In this article we provide a clear step-by-step guide to help you write an effective corporate video brief. By the end, you’ll be able to define a well-crafted video brief for your next corporate video project.

Have you ever left a meeting thinking everyone was on the same page, only to discover later that key details were overlooked or misunderstood? Whether you’re producing a video in-house or collaborating with an agency, a creative video brief ensures that everyone is aligned and working towards the same goal.

It is what an architectural blueprint is to a building project—your video brief serves as the foundation for the entire production process, helping to clarify objectives with all its relevant stakeholders and ensure that the final outcome meets desired goals and expectations.

A well thought video brief includes several critical elements that guide the production process. Let’s break them down:

1. Objective: What are the goals of your video? 
2. Target Audience: Who are you talking to?
3. Key Message(s): What are you trying to communicate?
4. Tone and Style: How do you want to come across?
5. Duration: How long is your video?
6. Budget: How much can you spend for the entire project?
7. Deadlines: What are the key milestones and when do they need to be done?
8. Distribution Channels: Where's your video making its grand debut? TV, website, Insta? You choose.
9. Content Requirements: What are the must-have requirements in this video?
10. Additional Information: Any additional context that would be helpful?

What do You Want to Achieve with Your Video? 

What do you want to achieve and what is the purpose of this video? Whether it’s to increase brand awareness, educate your audience, engage your employees, communicate important corporate plans, or communicate financial highlights or investment strategies? Having clear objectives help direct the creative process towards the right direction. 

What does Success Look Like?

While for corporate videos, depending on where they are released, there are not always clear-cut numeric metrics that can be tracked, it is still important to consider what metrics you would care about the most. Do you have specific KPIs that can help measure the success of your video? Below is a list of digital KPIs that can be tracked for corporate videos that are released on YouTube or social media platforms such as Linkedin or Facebook. A word of advice: if you happen to sponsor or promote your corporate video with ads, then the ad spend would naturally massively impact these KPIs. Videos that are release only "organically" (so without ad support) will draw far less eyeballs than videos with a might ad budget assigned to them.

Common Video KPIs to Measure and Analyse

1. View count: the total number of times a video has been viewed.
2. Watch time: the total amount of time viewers spend watching a video.
3. Average view duration: the average amount of time viewers watched before clicking away.
4. Audience retention: The percentage of viewers who watch a video from start to finish and the drop-off points.
5. Engagement rate: the sum of likes, comments, shares, and clicks as a percentage of total views.
6. Conversion or click-through rate: the percentage of viewers who take action after watching the video.
7. Social sharing: the number of times a video is shared on social media platforms.
8. Lead generation: the number of leads generated as a result of the video.

Who are You Speaking to? Understand Your Target Audience

Who are you trying to reach? Just like how there is no product designed to meet the needs of every human, no video is designed to appeal universally to everyone. What do you know about your target audience? 

Include details about your target audience, such as:

• Professionals vs Laymen: This is key especially for corporate videos in the B2B space. If you are speaking to peers who understand your industry, you can portray professionalism and communicate effectively by using established expressions and industry specific jargon. If you audience however is not that familiar with your industry, you would definitely want to explain certain terms and refrain from extensively using expert terms to prevent your audience from zooming out.
• Demographics: Age, gender, location. This is also important and in the context of Hong Kong, language does of course also matter. Is it more effective to communicate in English, or does a localised approach with language segments in Mandarin or Cantonese work better?
• Psychographics: Interests, values, motivations and pain points. This matters because to communicate effectively you need to grasp your target audiences concerns and THEN explain how your value proposition helps them achieve THEIR goals.

Have a clear picture in mind of who you are trying to influence. This will help tailor your video content, style, and tone to address the audience directly.

What are Key Messages you Want to Communicate?

What do you want to tell your audience? With attention spans getting shorter and constant distractions everywhere, nail down one core message, and most importantly start with them. Resist the urge to lead with lengthy intros about items that are not not germane to your overall mission. Define what is the most important message you need to get across to your target audience and then deliver it early on in your corporate video?

How do You Want to be Perceived?

What would you like your audience to think and feel after watching your video? The better you know your viewers and what response you want to create in them, the better your video will be able to resonate with your target audience. Typically, your brand guidelines will also play an essential role in defining the tone and voice of your video so it aligns with the rest of your brand image.

What Inspires Your Business?

What videos, images, sounds, and words that inspire your business? What is its core purpose beyond just maximising shareholder value? Having examples of things meaningful tasks completed that underpin your business values and vision are a great references that can help you bring this point home.

Where will Your Video be Watched?

How can people access your video and where will your videos be played? Knowing how and where your video content is distributed helps ensure your video production and formatting is designed specifically for the appropriate channels and around their native environment. For example, if your video will be uploaded to YouTube or LinkedIn, it may be helpful to think about a call-to-action at the end of the video to direct viewers to the desired action or place of action. If the main purpose is to show it at a conference or during company town hall meetings, the format, length and style of delivery would naturally be very different.

What is your Budget and Deadline?

Nothing lasts forever and this is one of the question most Hong Kong firms ponder over extensively: What is a reasonable budget for a corporate video project? While you some companies simply to go with the cheapest vendor, smart companies understand that there is not just a cost to creating a corporate video, there is also value that is created in the form of inspiring employees, getting investors excited and so on. So keep that in mind and define a clear and reasonable video project budget and deadline. This will guarantee a professional production and make sure you achieve your intended results.

Success is specific, precise and focused. Here are proven tips for effective corporate videos: 

1. Be clear and concise: Avoid jargon. Clarity reduces misinterpretation and ensures all parties understand the project’s goals and requirements.
2. Collaborate with stakeholders: Involve all relevant parties, including marketing, sales, HR, and senior management, to ensure the brief covers all necessary aspects of your video and aligns with the overarching corporate strategy.

1. Focus on your audience: Always place yourself in the shoes of your audience. Think about what will engage them and how the video will add value to their experience.
2. Use references: Include examples or mood boards to give a more comprehensive understanding of the desired outcomes.
3. Iterate and encourage feedback: A brief is often refined over time. Be open to feedback and revisions for better clarity and success.

Even with the best efforts, mistakes can happen. Here are common mistakes to avoid:

1. Vague objectives: Lack of clarity and definition often leads to confusion. Be specific.
2. Overloading with information: Too much information can overwhelm anyone. Focus on essentials.

1. Ignoring the audience: Failing to define the target audience leads to videos that just don’t resonate. Get clear on who you are speaking with.
2. Unrealistic budgets and timelines: Be upfront to avoid delays or overspending.
3. Inconsistent branding: Ensure the brief aligns with the company’s brand guidelines to maintain coherence and consistency

A well-crafted video brief is the foundation for all types of corporate videos and something that experts for video production Hong Kong will request at the start of any project. It sets clear directions, aligns stakeholders, and optimizes time and resources. By following the tips in this guide and avoiding common pitfalls, anyone can create an effective video brief that leads to impactful and engaging videos. Learn how to master the video production process or contact us to discuss how we can bring your brand vision to life.